iOS 5 landing on October 10th, iPhone 5 on October 15th?

AppleInsider is reporting that AppleCare has been informed to prepare for a swarm of inquiries on or around October 10th regarding iOS. And no, I don’t think it’s because people are suddenly going to forget how to use their iPhones and iPads that day. The report signals the release of the highly anticipated iOS 5 and iPhone 5.

Now, it’s important to note that AppleInsider’s credibility has often been hit or miss. In fact, we have a bit of a warning:

“While AppleInsider cannot verify the accuracy of the information provided, the tip did include specific details on call volumes that suggest the details are at least plausible. However, since the details come from an unproven source, the information is presented solely in the interest of discussion.”

Oh good. Luckily for them, the October 10th date falls in line with earlier reports. BGR thinks iOS 5 beta 8 will be here Friday, and the GM will be here on September 23rd. October 10th is about two and half weeks after that, which is odd, but the dates are still relatively close together.

Here’s another tidbit of information: the iPhone 5 is expected on October 15th. This, too, makes sense considering that Apple always released iOS GM versions right before the new hardware in the past. The CEO of Orange, a foreign wireless carrier, Stephane Richard specifically said in an interview with BFM TV “If I believe what we heard, the iPhone will be released Oct. 15.” While this doesn’t confirm anything, the CEO of a carrier is usually a reliable source. Unfortunately, since he is speaking for the country of France, the October 15th release date may not apply to the U.S.

While all the rumors continue to pipe out, we are still stuck with Apple’s official word: iOS 5 in the fall. Vague, but we’ll receive the specifics soon enough. They haven’t even acknowledged the existence of an iPhone 5 yet. But we know better.